Can someone manage my expectations or is this dealer offer a load of crap?

[Mike Hawk]

Originally Posted by CZNEDY

Tulsa RV website:
Price: $25,101
Save: $7,602
SALE PRICE: $17,499
That's more than 30% off MSRP, or retail as the dealer called it.

Ah, I see that now for their 193BHS. I wish I had that print out to call him on his BS yesterday. Might still do that too.

[Flybob]

Don't call them. That just means they still have you on their hook. Just make sure they have your number and wait. When we bought ours the local dealer told us no one would meet our price as it was way too low. We left and bought elsewhere for less than our price. They called a week later with a story and said they could get very close to our price. They were not happy when we told them we got the same unit for less than the price we offered. The number of 1st time RV buyers is at a record high so many times their sales techniques work for them.

[tomkatb]

We have two big discount dealers here. Couch and the place near Indian lake, wholesale discounters.

Get in front of you exactly what you want in options. Call them. Couches rv treated us well. I would want two six volt batteries. Trust me here.

Do a thorough PDI. Before the check is turned over. “We and the check will come back tomorrow to pick it up”. They can go take a part off another unit if necessary.

As previously stated do minor repairs your self. Camp nearby for a night or two. Eat and drink well. Mosey home at your leisure.

Take the discount. Five grand will pay for one dandy two month vacation!

There are a lot of scam artists in this area. Your dealer tried 6-8 common scams on the unsuspecting you. F^¥£{…k. Them and the horse they rode in on. As we say down south. For a laugh go try camping world. Just don’t take a checkbook.

Having a dealer close to you is worth dollars in the scheme of things. Take the thousands.

[scott57uk]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

We're looking at a Coachman Apex Nano 194BHS with the Off grid package. It retails for ~$25,471 from what I can tell. $24,375 w/o the Off Grid option.

Local dealer had this break down:

• $23,897 retail (odd, I haven't seen that price before)
• $1,200 prep fee (my ass?)
• $399 doc fee (again, my ass)
• $895 WDH
• $350 Electronic brake control

Grand total: $26,741

I already have a P3 brake controller installed so they took that line item off ($350 though? Geesh). I showed them this listing for $16,877 and I pretty much got the result I was expecting. Sales guy went to talk to his manager and ended up talking to their regional Apex rep on the phone (or so they told me) and about 15 min later came back and said that that price was impossible and Apex would be giving a call to get that dealer scolded. Going on to say freight charges are less and don't know whatever else fees they might be hiding. I get that, fine, it's a starting point though. Using the 20-30% off MSRP rule I've heard talk so much around here that meant ball park should be anywhere from $17,830-$20,377.

He came back again after another talk with his manager with a $25,980 OTD price. I said I wanted to keep it closer to $20k. Guy goes on a small rant about dealer's hurting each other and the internet and how it used to be back in the day, blah blah blah. He said $24,000 and what would it take to get us in it. Ultimately we said we'd think about it, thanked him for his time and then left. In the end he wasn't really that pushy but you could tell he was tad salty.

Here's the thing, I've seen many 193 (the 194's slightly smaller sister) and 194 listings range anywhere from $17-22k. I guess I was under the assumption the dealer had a lot more wiggle room. Definitely gonna buy and install the WDH myself unless the dealer can drastically cut the price or throw it in for free. At this point I'm looking around to neighboring states around NE Oklahoma to see if I can find a thirstier dealer. Guess I could always make a road trip straight to Indiana. My ultimate question is what should I expect from MSRP vs OTD after all the fee bs is thrown in. Is freight baked into MSRP?

Local Dealer's 4 Square offer:




TLDR Local dealer's initial OTD price was HIGHER than MSRP after fees and a WDH and didn't come down much at all!

We started looking at a rockwood 6208BS in New England. The prices around here were mid 40k. We ended up at Zoomers in Wabash Ind. Paid 22K Great dealership. No prep fee and spend 5 hours on walk thru. Now looking at 5R will definitly buy from them again.

[Phil 179]

Just a quick note regarding sales people. True definition:

A person that convinces you to spend mobey you don't have, on things you don't need, to impress people you don't know.

Keep that in mind and shop around, find the best offer, go back to the dealer and ask if they can match or beat it, and be ready to walk out the door and go to whoever made the best offer.

[Jdhudkins]

I flew to Boston rented a truck drive to Maine purchased a boat that was brand new on eBay for 23,000 dollars cheaper Thant the local dealer , this was apples to apples! Get your best price where ever it maybe! Just saying!

[revoff1]

I got my 2018 Heritage Glenn 5th Wheel through online and email only.
I send several large dealers the model I was looking or and I let them compete against each other. I drove from ME to OH and saved $20,000. List price $49,890 and sale price was $29,000 out the door.

I shared each dealers email with the other dealers and let them beat each other.

[PenJoe]

Run and don't look back!! This dealer thinks he found a real fish. I'm not sure what makes some dealers tick. We were considering a vehicle trade (out of town) and the sales person asked for the keys to check our vehicle out. We were grossly low balled on the trade. So much so that it was an insult. We asked for our keys back and the sales person refused-wanting us to deal. "Either give back the keys or I am calling the police" He finally did. What gall!

We were in the market for a new boat-no trade. The dealers in our area were pretty close, but high. We knew what we wanted. I found a dealer on the opposite side of the state that had a much better Internet price.So, I called the dealer, introduced and said where we were located. Then asked what are you going do to entice us into drive the distance. He chuckled and said I got straight to the point. We came to an agreement on the phone. When we got there, we got some other perks at a discount. We have never had to have service, but we have called the dealer a couple of times for advice and have always gotten an answer. And, we save a chunk of money.

[shadows4]

You might check with Reliable RV in Springfield, Mo. They are a large Coachmen dealer.

[Ronhawk]

At least the didn't state a DRF cost of $693 on the invoice!! Oh you have never heard of that charge? Well that is the Dealers Retirement Fund..Buyer beware...

[mdstudey]

Thanks OP for the great question. I learned a lot reading this thread.

[RStormC]

Walk away. Like when dealing with cars, I tell them up front that I have done my homework, have a pretty good idea what the price should be and what their profit will be, that I expect their best price the first time, and that I will not play games. If the salesman cannot give me a price (after all they have a price sheet with the minimum acceptable price on their desk every morning) I demand to speak with his boss, the owner, or whoever is authorized to make the deal without endless running back and forth to meetings. Do not give them your drivers license, any financial information, or permission to run a credit check until you have agreed to make the deal and have settled on the price. Then tell them what your pre arranged interest rates are (that you did with your bank or credit union before shopping) and ask them if they can beat it. Unless there is a special promotion going on, they seldom can. I am fortunate enough to have found a dealer that does not play this game after walking away from others. Yes, I tell the owner why they lost the sale and any return business.

[Tundra 2014]

I would start offering a price that is minimum of 30% off retail. Depending on the model, fancier more mark-up and more room for negotiation. Dealer is trying to get to you, run do not walk away.

[Dennis King]

I agree walk away from that dealer. The market is so good now for dealers some say if I can’t make X Amount on the deal, I will just wait for another buyer. Another reason is they may not have much inventory and are trying to make a lot on each one. The way they are doing it they can sell 1/4 as many and make as much profit and less hassle. My dealer when I was looking was $30,000 higher and would not budge because he only had 2 class A’s left at end of June! I bought one way ticket to Dallas and they picked me up at airport. They had great rates also. Forest River has been great on warranty and most dealers don’t care about the warranty work and I believe try to exaggerate the cost to Forest River. Many good repair places around that want the work. Dealers are booked for weeks or months out. Find a good one you trust and they will take care of you! Take lots of pictures and make sure they get to the warranty department quickly. Dealers sat on mine for three weeks before sending.

[SlowrideHD]

I've been buying new vehicles, campers, farm equipment, etc for a long time. Whenever a salesman leaves the room to go talk to the "manager" or whatever, I wander out to the outdoor lot and they can spend their time to find me and ask me to come back in. Homey don't play those games.

[TeachTexas]

The last time a dealer played the "I"ll go talk to the manager" game. I followed him out and got to see some pretty surprised looks when he ended up in the break room and saw me behind him. I kept walking out the door and left. Sales manager called me about an hour later and told me the salesman was fired and if I would come back in they would make it right. Never went back but drove by a few days later and happened to see the salesman working a customer on the lot. LOL

[FORKLIFMAN]

I am not sure what state your in, Here in California that add is called Bait and Switch! And is illegal! If the add had the SN in it, they have to sell it for the advertised price! Had something similar happen years ago with a used vehicle , being advertised for a really low price. Knowing the law, I matched the SN of the vehicle to the add. By the time the manger was involved I got it for the price it was advertised for! Also If going into a store, an item has a posted price, but the price, was a mistake, for what ever reason, the price posted is what you pay! Usually the posted price is corrected right away! If in fact the SN was in your add, and it matches, that trailer, you may want to check what your state law, is about bait and switch advertising?


Cheers David

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by FORKLIFMAN

I am not sure what state your in, Here in California that add is called Bait and Switch! And is illegal!


Cheers David

The OP's profile says Oklahoma.

[Cowracer]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

We're looking at a Coachman Apex Nano 194BHS with the Off grid package. It retails for ~$25,471 from what I can tell. $24,375 w/o the Off Grid option.

Local dealer had this break down:

• $23,897 retail (odd, I haven't seen that price before)
• $1,200 prep fee (my ass?)
• $399 doc fee (again, my ass)
• $895 WDH
• $350 Electronic brake control

Grand total: $26,741

I already have a P3 brake controller installed so they took that line item off ($350 though? Geesh). I showed them this listing for $16,877 and I pretty much got the result I was expecting. Sales guy went to talk to his manager and ended up talking to their regional Apex rep on the phone (or so they told me) and about 15 min later came back and said that that price was impossible and Apex would be giving a call to get that dealer scolded. Going on to say freight charges are less and don't know whatever else fees they might be hiding. I get that, fine, it's a starting point though. Using the 20-30% off MSRP rule I've heard talk so much around here that meant ball park should be anywhere from $17,830-$20,377.

He came back again after another talk with his manager with a $25,980 OTD price. I said I wanted to keep it closer to $20k. Guy goes on a small rant about dealer's hurting each other and the internet and how it used to be back in the day, blah blah blah. He said $24,000 and what would it take to get us in it. Ultimately we said we'd think about it, thanked him for his time and then left. In the end he wasn't really that pushy but you could tell he was tad salty.

Here's the thing, I've seen many 193 (the 194's slightly smaller sister) and 194 listings range anywhere from $17-22k. I guess I was under the assumption the dealer had a lot more wiggle room. Definitely gonna buy and install the WDH myself unless the dealer can drastically cut the price or throw it in for free. At this point I'm looking around to neighboring states around NE Oklahoma to see if I can find a thirstier dealer. Guess I could always make a road trip straight to Indiana. My ultimate question is what should I expect from MSRP vs OTD after all the fee bs is thrown in. Is freight baked into MSRP?

Local Dealer's 4 Square offer:




TLDR Local dealer's initial OTD price was HIGHER than MSRP after fees and a WDH and didn't come down much at all!

Never talk any price except out the door. And dealers love that 4-square sheet. It lets them toss a ton of BS past you real quick, to see if anything sticks. read this.

Anytime a salesman comes out with that 4 square sheet, I take it away from him, and say we are only going to talk in terms of 'out the door' price. If he insists on using that sheet, I'll either wad it up and throw it away in front of him, or leave and hit another dealer.

I wrote a pretty detailed post on my method, and I pretty much always get my price.

Link Here


Offer him $17,500 and get up and walk if he says no.

Tim

[Pa Camper 2020]

I got my Rockwood Signature for more than 30% off of MSRP from a small local dealer without all the extra fees. Campers Inn told me that there was not that much margin on these RVs. Needless to say they did not get my money!